


Roses in the Rain

by theweightofmywords



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: American Harry, American Louis, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Georgia, Harry Styles Calls Louis Tomlinson Pet Names, M/M, mentions of Jay's passing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-10 16:27:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15295491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theweightofmywords/pseuds/theweightofmywords
Summary: “Don’t- I know what you’re going to ask, and I… Harry, I can’t,” he said, his voice cracking. “Please. You know that I can’t.”Louis had his six siblings and his old house with its falling-apart porch to take care of. This town was where people still approached him, 8 years after high school graduation, to tell him that they loved him as Danny in Grease. This town was where he had his pick of suitors, where he had his first kiss, where he took his first steps, where his mama lived, died, and was buried, and he couldn’t leave just to follow some man that he loved.Harry, for now, seemed to understand that.“Okay, baby,” Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Okay.”





	Roses in the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge that a group of us are participating in for the prompt "Hope". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_hope/works), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works) or find the masterpost for this year’s challenge here.
> 
> I've always wanted to write a fic based on the song "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen. Read the lyrics before you read the fic, for maximum Mood-Setting. 
> 
> I gave the Tomlinson family a fictional stepfather, because I didn't want to portray Dan or Mark as having abandoned their families. I do mention Jay's passing in the fic, just so you know. 
> 
> Say hi on [ tumblr](http://lt2018.tumblr.com) if you want!
> 
> [ here](https://louisalbumnow.tumblr.com/post/175998680065/lt2018-roses-in-the-rain-by-theweightofmywords) is the fic post, if you'd like to reblog. Thanks!

When it rained in Georgia, it poured. Summertime showers were more like deluges, as the wind blew the willows and the Spanish moss to and fro. As a child, Louis used to like standing in the rain sometimes, liked letting it pelt his skin and wash everything away. He liked to pretend that he was in some sort of sweeping romance film, like the ones his grandma enjoyed. Just off-screen stood his lover, ready to sweep him away from the dusty road he lived on.

“Louis Tomlinson, you get your behind in here before you catch a cold,” his mama would yell from the porch, the screen door halfway open as it leaned against her hip.

“Alright, Mama,” he would say, taking just one more second to stand in the rain, face up towards the heavens.

Louis still liked the rain, but he liked it a lot less when he was stuck walking home in it. Rubbing the drops out of his eyes, he cringed as he felt the squelching noise of the water in his mud-covered sneakers. When he had left for work that morning, the sun had been glaring. He should have known that Georgia summers were flighty.

He could hear a car driving behind him, and he moved further in along the sidewalk. The car rolled to a slow crawl. Crossing his arms defensively, he started to walk faster.

“Lou, it’s me,” he heard someone call.

Louis felt the tension in his chest ease.

Harry’s old black Jeep was pulled over, his windshield wipers going double-time. His ubiquitous blue bandana was holding his hair back, and he was wearing that ratty Rolling Stones shirt again. His forehead shone with sweat, and Louis knew he was probably on his way home from the gym. Or the garage, where he worked on his motorbike.

“You look like you smell bad,” Louis said.

Harry squacked before shaking his head. “Good to see you too, babe. Are you gonna get in or do you wanna just walk home in this?”

Louis bit his lip before running to the passenger seat. Harry leaned over to open the door for him.

Buckling his seatbelt, Louis wrinkled his nose. “God, you really do smell bad. What were you doing?”

“Gardening,” Harry replied. “Then I went to the store because I was craving something sweet.”

“Did you get me anything?” Louis asked, turning excitedly towards the backseat as he looked for any grocery bags.

“I got an ice cream cone,” Harry smiled. When he saw Louis start to pout, he elbowed him. “Don’t worry, we can go some other time to get one.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “That was real smooth.”

“What do you mean? I can’t get ice cream with a friend?”

“You know what I mean,” Louis sighed, dismissively.

The smile on Harry’s face faltered slightly. “Yep, I know.”

Louis looked out the window to avoid seeing Harry’s sad smile. Realizing that he was going in a different direction than his home, he turned quickly to Harry.

“We’re going the wrong way.”

“I’m going home so I can shower,” Harry explained. Turning to Louis, he winked. “Since I smell so bad.”

Louis felt his skin flush as the air between them got thicker. His heart began to race ever slightly, the way it always did when things seemed imminent between them.

“And what am I supposed to do while you shower?” Louis asked, as if he didn’t already know the answer.

Harry glanced over at him as he pulled into his driveway. Putting the car in park, the corner of his mouth turned up. Usually Louis hated when guys looked at him with that smug smirk, as if he was a sure thing. _Usually_.

“You can do whatever you wanna do, babe,” he said, his voice low and slow like honey .

-

Louis turned his face up towards the bathroom ceiling, the water pouring over him. He gripped Harry’s shoulders even tighter as his moans echoed against the tiles.

“Yeah?” Harry breathed, his fingertips digging into Louis’ skin.

Louis could only nod, his mouth lolling open as he felt his orgasm build. He felt Harry brush his lips up his neck and along his jaw before finally capturing his own in a searing kiss. He let his eyes close, allowing himself a moment to just pretend that Harry could be the one.

Not that it was hard to pretend with Harry. Not with their easy laughs. Not when Harry looked at Louis the way he did, like he could stare at him all day. Not with the way Harry always kissed him gently afterwards, when they lay on warm sheets that smelled like rain.

Louis pretended with everyone else, because he was told from an early age to never let any man fool him. But Harry seemed to be the only one Louis didn’t have to pretend with.

He didn’t like it.

Later on, Louis did his best to ignore the way Harry’s fingers brushed the hair off of his face, the way his eyes seemed to be studying all of Louis’ details.

“It’s still raining, Lou,” Harry said, still naked as he sat up in his bed.

The rain was still coming down in sheets, but Louis didn’t want to stay for the rest of the afternoon. Afternoons turned into evenings, and evenings turned into dinner, and dinner became staying over, and waking up next to Harry seemed like something Louis would never want to stop doing once he started. And starting anything beyond what they already had was something that Louis swore up and down he would never do to himself.

Boys like Harry deserved someone who would love them just as wildly.

“I’ve got eyes, Styles,” Louis replied, zipping up his still-wet jeans. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’ll get sick.”

“You really don’t have to worry about me.”

Louis began walking out the bedroom without so much as a backwards glance. Harry stood up to follow him.

“Yeah, but I do,” Harry said, reaching for Louis’ hand. “I do.”

Louis stared at their hands before pulling it gently away. “Harry,” he sighed. “Don’t.”

Harry stared fixedly at a point on his hardwood floors as Louis glanced towards his front door.

“Thanks,” Louis said, even as the word twisted his chest. “It was fun.”

He saw the muscle in Harry’s jaw twitch. Harry’s eyes stayed fixed on the floor, and Louis selfishly wished he could see them again. He told himself that there was always next time. The next time he had Harry in his arms again, he would keep his eyes open the whole time, soak in all the details of his face just like Harry always seemed to do.

“Louis, I’ve got something to tell you,” Harry said quietly.

Louis didn’t know if it was the damp of his clothes or Harry’s words, but he suddenly felt very cold.

“That’s actually why I brought you over,” he added, a sheepish smile on his face.

Louis felt like he couldn’t breathe, but he managed to let out a laugh anyway. “Okay, well, spit it out then.”

“I got a job up north,” Harry announced. “I’m moving soon.”

Next time. Next time. Next time. Those words taunted Louis, his own thoughts becoming cruel daggers digging into his side.

“You’re leaving?”

Louis was vaguely aware that his face was getting hot, as the lump in his throat grew. Turning away, he shook his head.

“Yeah,” Harry said. “I just got the offer, but they want me up there in two weeks.”

Louis nodded. With his back turned, he squeezed his eyes shut. “That’s great, Harry.”

“Baby, I want-”

“Where is it, anyway? Charleston?” Louis asked, his voice thin.

Harry was quiet for a beat too long. “Philadelphia.”

Louis felt himself gasp for air. Opening his eyes, he was unsurprised to find his vision blurry.

“Congratulations, H, I’m happy for you,” he told him, as he walked towards the door. Slipping his sneakers on, he fumbled with the door’s locks.

“Please, Louis, just listen-”

“Make sure you say bye to me before you go, ya hear?” Louis mumbled, glancing quickly at him as he opened the door.

Harry’s green eyes were glassy with tears. “Louis-”

Louis shook his head furiously. “Don’t- I know what you’re going to ask, and I… Harry, I _can’t_ ,” he said, his voice cracking. “Please. You know that I can’t.”

Louis had his six siblings and his old house with its falling-apart porch to take care of. This town was where people still approached him, 8 years after high school graduation, to tell him that they loved him as Danny in _Grease_. This town was where he had his pick of suitors, where he had his first kiss, where he took his first steps, where his mama lived, died, and was buried, and he couldn’t leave just to follow some man that he loved.

Harry, for now, seemed to understand that.

“Okay, baby,” Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Okay.”

Louis wanted to apologize and tell him he loved him and say yes to anything Harry was asking, but instead, he shrugged.

“See you around,” he whispered. He turned around and walked back out into the rain.

\-- 

Louis slapped five dollars on the table before grabbing his pint glass. The foam sloshed over the edge, soaking his hands. Transferring the pint glass to his other hand, he licked the beer off his fingers.

Calvin exhaled loudly as he shook his head. “You’re obscene.”

“What do you mean, Cal?” Louis grinned. His limbs felt loose and heavy as the bass from the crowded bar’s speakers boomed in his chest. It was a Friday night, and he was on a mission to spin his way through the town, his memories of Harry, the feel of him, the sound of his voice, unraveling from his skin with each drink.

“You trying to hook up with someone tonight?” Calvin asked, wagging his eyebrows.

Louis shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Why?”

“You’re doing the full Tommo the Tease act.”

“I would _never_!” Louis exclaimed, placing his hand over his chest in feigned dismay.

Calvin laughed before throwing an arm around Louis. “Who’re you trying to get out of your system?”

Louis’ smile froze, and he gulped down the rest of his beer while Calvin waited for an answer. “Who says I’m doing that? Maybe I just feel like getting laid!”

Calvin’s eyes softened. “It’s okay, you know. I heard about… him. If you’re sad about-”

Louis shoved a hand in Calvin’s face. “I’m not sad- I’m drunk. I don’t wanna think about it. Or anything, really.”

“Okay, Louis, okay!” Calvin replied. His eyes scanned the bar before landing on a man on the other end of the room. “What about that guy?”

The man was tall and broad, his wavy brown hair partially hidden by a beanie. His flannel shirt was rolled up to reveal heavily tattooed arms. Louis’ heart raced when he thought that maybe it was--

But then he turned around, and his face was all wrong.

It was Alex Turner, someone who graduated a few years before him in school. He never held any interest to Louis, but for tonight, he would suffice.

“He’s perfect,” Louis found himself saying. Placing his pint glass back on the bar, he winked at Calvin. “Feel free to leave without me.”

Calvin shook his head before grabbing Louis’ elbow gently. “You’ll be okay?”

Hearing the concern in his best friend’s voice, Louis let his smile fall just for a moment. “I’ll always be okay,” he answered. He blinked before forcing a smile back onto his face. He fixed his fringe and started to weave his way through the crowd.

When he was about ten feet away, he locked eyes with Alex. He could feel Alex’s gaze sweep up his body, and when he saw the smirk on his face, he forced himself to smile back.

He hated when guys looked at him like he was a sure thing.

Later, even when he could feel Alex breathing against his neck, could feel his fingers grab at his hair, his hips, he told himself, “You’re not a sure thing. You’re not. You’re not.”

He wasn’t anyone’s to rely on or to keep. He was free and unattached.

And as he walked home that night, his body shivering, he caught himself singing a song that his mama used to sing.

“Freedom’s just another word,” he sang, his eyes blurring, “for nothing left to lose.”

\--

Louis let out a slow exhale as he watched the man walk out the door. He had gone out with him a few times. Apparently the man thought Louis loved him. When Louis was younger, he had thought that bad things only happened to people late in life, that everyone would have a chance to grow old. The man just happened to meet Louis when he had just learned that life does not care how old you are, or how much love you still have left to give. It gives and it takes, and Louis was still scrambling to pick up the pieces of what life had stranded him with.

He was in no position to be loved, and he wasn’t sure if he ever would be.

The man had tried asking Louis about his weekend plans, with poorly-concealed hints that he wanted to go to the town’s carnival, that there was a new restaurant that he was dying to try. Louis had smiled politely and provided vague answers that contained many words and said little. He had tersely ended the conversation by handing him his bag and receipt, an empty smile on his beautiful face.

Louis hated working at his town’s convenience store, mostly because it made it easier for his exes to run into him.

He never thought he would be the kind of person who had exes. Growing up, he thought he would have that last first kiss type of deal. But seeing his own father leave his mother when she needed him the most taught him that he could either be left or leave. He decided that he would always be the one to leave.

He never thought Harry would leave him first though.

They had been friends for years before they had stumbled into their strange non-relationship. Although they both knew how easy it would be to be together, Harry always had a way of understanding Louis. He never tried to hide how he felt about Louis, but he had never asked Louis to consider a future with him.

Until a week ago, when he had almost asked Louis to come with him to Philadelphia.

The sound of jingling keys broke Louis from his thoughts. He quickly glanced up, only to find Harry standing in front of him. His sunglasses held his floppy hair off his forehead, revealing his eyes and the dark circles beneath them. He looked shocked to see Louis as he stared silently at him.

“You look like a deer in headlights,” Louis said, in lieu of a greeting. He was surprised at the composure in his voice.

Harry blinked, his smile nowhere near what it usually was when he was with Louis.

“I forgot you worked here.”

“I don’t see how. It’s like a fact of life- the sky is blue, the earth is round, and Louis Tomlinson works at the pharmacy.”

“Guess I haven’t seen you at work in awhile,” Harry shrugged, stepping closer. “And besides, you say you work here, as if that’ll never change. The sky’ll always be blue, just like the earth will always be round- you won’t always be stuck here.”

Louis narrowed his eyes. “Who said I was _stuck_? Maybe I like working here!”

Louis turned to re-organize some of the shelves, just to have a reason not to look at Harry. He felt Harry step closer to him before speaking again.

“I’m not stuck. This is a good job- dependable, pays alright, considering I’m a college dropout.”

“Lou, I didn’t mean it like that-”

“Not everyone can be you, you know- finding jobs in big cities doing whatever it is you’re doing.”

Harry groaned, and Louis knew without even looking at him that he was probably scrubbing at his face in frustration.

“Landscape Design- that’s what I’m doing. You’re being difficult right now, and you know it.”

Louis stared intently at the greeting cards in his hands. Generic in message, as if feelings meant anything. He had plenty of those, and he was perfectly fine ignoring them. From the corner of his eye, he could see Harry beside him. He would break if he looked. He would want to bury his face in his chest and never go anywhere else.

“Louis, please. Look at me?”

He shook his head slowly. “Harry, I’m working,” he said quietly, as if he didn’t trust his voice to speak above a whisper. “Not right now.”

“Then when? I’m leaving in four days.”

Louis began returning the cards to their correct places, the shake in his hands nearly imperceptible.

“I’ll stop by before you go,” Louis managed to say.

Harry brushed his thumb against Louis’ wrist. “Promise?”

Louis nodded, as he saw another customer approach the register.

“I gotta go,” he mumbled as he tried to ignore the way Harry’s touch felt against his skin. “I’m at work.”

Harry nodded as Louis made his way back to the front of the store. He wandered up and down the aisles, picking up random things as he went around. When the customer left, Harry approached the register. The silence between them was palpable as Louis rang up his items.

“Peach rings, a facemask, and a bag of ballpoint pens?” Louis asked, smiling softly. He took a glance at Harry, only to find him already looking.

“Useful things,” Harry grinned as he paid for his things. He seemed to be hesitating as he stood there, plastic bags in hand. “Are you busy tonight?”

Louis froze. He was supposed to meet up again with Alex.

“No,” he answered.

Harry smiled, hope shining slightly in his eyes. “Come over, if you want. Or I can come over. Whatever you want.”

Louis knew it’d be a mistake. His willpower was hanging on by a thread, and he knew that if he were to be alone with Harry, his resolve and all of his attempts to get him out of his system would crumble and be for nothing.

“Alright,” he said, anyway. “I’ll stop by for a bit.”

\--

Harry buried his face in Louis’ neck, his arms wrapped tightly around Louis. His hips thrust slowly as he moved inside of him, Louis’ legs hitched around his waist.

“Baby,” Harry murmured, as he bit softly at Louis’ jaw.

Louis ran his hands up and down Harry’s back as he tried to memorize his every movement. His fingers entwined in his hair as he pulled Harry up.

“Look at me,” he gasped, feeling close.

Harry came just a breath away from Louis’ lips, his eyes filled with tears. Louis followed closely behind as he cried out his name, his voice echoing inside Harry’s nearly-empty bedroom. He let Harry clean him up, and when Harry climbed back in bed with him and pulled a sheet over them, he let himself breathe in his scent.

Harry’s eyes drooped with exhaustion, even as they whispered about old memories from their shared childhood and gossiped about people in their small town.

When Harry seemed to drift off mid-sentence only to snap his eyes back open, Louis allowed himself a moment of softness and kissed him gently.

“Go to sleep, Harry,” he said against his lips.

Harry shook his head. “I wanna spend every second I have left here with you.”

Louis felt his lip quiver as he brushed Harry’s fringe off his forehead. “I’ll stay. Just go to sleep, darling.”

“I’ll make us breakfast,” Harry yawned, his voice heavy and faraway. “Do you like crepes?”

Louis nodded, as a hot tear slide down his face.

“I love them,” he whispered.

“Good,” Harry sighed, his eyes drifting close.

Louis studied Harry, trying to memorize every mark, every curve of his body, every shadow on his face, refusing to close his eyes. He stayed until he hears birds chirping and the dark of the night gives way to the sun.

\--

Being the eldest of a slew of children inevitably meant that his room sometimes became the de facto hangout spot on nights when the thunder roared and rain pelted relentlessly against the windowpanes. To his left laid Doris and Phoebe, with Daisy and Ernest to his right. Lottie and Fizzy laid on the floor, their blankets piled around them.

Louis had just finished reading Doris and Ernest a story about a little boy named Harold who had an overactive imagination and a purple crayon. The whole time, he tried to ignore the name of the main character. He even considered changing the name completely, but he caught Lottie staring at him sadly and decided to just keep acting like nothing was wrong.

In truth, everything was wrong. Harry was leaving in the morning.

Louis had tried everything to pretend like he was fine. He had thrown himself into taking care of his siblings by picking up after them, cooking meals from scratch, and doing their laundry. When Lottie found him folding laundry, his eyes burning with exhaustion and unshed tears, she smacked him in the arm and told him to go bed. 

“One more story, Achoo?” Doris asked, despite her sleepy eyes.

“No, baby, it’s way past your bedtime.”

“But it’s a special night,” Ernest argued, rolling onto his side and nuzzling his face into Louis’ arm.

“What makes it a special night?” Louis chuckled.

“Because you’re sad. And stories make things better.”

Louis’ smile fell from his face, as he struggled to stop the lump from forming in his throat. Shaking his head, he said, “I’m not.”

Fizzy snorted as she sat up. “That’s bull.”

Louis sat up as well and gave a pointed look at his younger sister. “Watch your mouth, Fizz.”

“C’mon, Lou, it’s not like you’re hiding it well,” Phoebe said, rolling her eyes.

Louis stared at his hands and avoided her knowing glare. The day before, she had found him staring off into space, his grilled cheese burning on the stove.

“And it’s not like you have anything to be ashamed of,” Daisy added. “You love Harry, of course you’re sad.”

Louis forced a smile on his face. “Okay, what is this? Let’s-put-our-noses-in-Louis’-business night?”

“Louis,” Lottie sighed. “Harry’s leaving in less than 12 hours.”

“Yes, thank you for the reminder.”

“And you’re _not_ going with him?” Fizzy asked.

Louis rubbed his forehead. “No, I’m not going with him. Why would I-”

“Because you love him, you dumbass!” Phoebe exclaimed. “You love him and-”

“Why should it matter if I love him?” Louis groaned, startling Doris and Ernest. “It doesn’t mean I should throw everything away, just for him.”

“Throw away what? Your job at the town’s general store?” Lottie asked, her eyes piercing into Louis’.

“Don’t be mean, Lots.”

When they were younger, he would tell Lottie all about his plans to move away from their small town. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but he had always wanted something bigger, something more than dusty roads.

She reached her hand out and placed it over Louis’. “I’m not being mean, Lou. But you act like you’re stuck here, and you’re not.”

Louis stared at the pattern on the quilt, the same one he had had since he was a kid. The pattern was faded, the fabric torn in places. “I’ve got you guys,” he mumbled as the pattern blurred. Wiping his face quickly, he shrugged. “Who’ll take care of y’all if I go?”

Lottie smiled. “I’ve got a good job, Lou. Fizzy’s working too. And Tom’s around.”

Louis snorted as he thought about Tom’s, his mama’s ex-husband and Louis’ stepfather. Although he was related by blood to Louis’ siblings, he hadn’t done much to honor that connection, aside from the monetary contributions of monthly child support.

“Mom gave custody to both of us, Lou. You’re not stuck,” Lottie reminded him, her voice soft and gentle. It reminded Louis so much of his mama that he couldn’t bother to hide his tears.

“I don’t wanna leave y’all,” he cried.

“But you don’t wanna stay, either,” Fizzy said.

“What if he changes his mind?” Louis asked, hiding his face.

Phoebe laughed. “Harry? Change his mind about you? Please.”

Louis wanted to ask them what made them so sure, but he already knew the answer. It was the way Harry’s face seemed to nearly burst when he tried hiding his smiles from Louis. It was in the way Louis would catch him staring whenever he’d tell stories. In a way, Harry had always taken care of Louis: when they were kids, and he would always make sure that Louis had a place to sit on the bus; in high school, he was always quick to provide a shoulder to cry on, always brought an extra sandwich, would sometimes just buy things because they reminded him of Louis.

“I can’t give you more than this,” Louis had said, moments after their first kiss, nearly three years ago. “I’ve got too much going on.”

His mama was sick, his stepfather had just abandoned them, and Louis was tired from working too many early shifts at the store. Their first kiss, in many ways, was the only good thing in Louis’ life at the time.

Harry’s eyes dimmed just enough for Louis to notice. But he nodded slowly, understanding Louis as he always seemed to do.

“Okay. This is enough, then,” he had said before kissing Louis again. “This is everything.”

Louis sat up, his eyes welling with tears again. All these years, his moments with Harry had been everything.

“I…um,” he started, his throat thick from crying. His siblings stared expectantly at them. “I have to go.”

Lottie and Fizzy shrieked, clapping their hands, and Phoebe and Daisy smirked at each other before returning their attention to their phones.

“You’re really going to go, Achoo?” Ernest asked, his eyes wide. He looked at Doris in concern before looking back up at his brother.

Louis smiled sadly. “Yeah, I think so, bud.”

Doris launched herself at him, burying her head in his chest. “I’ll miss you,” she said quietly.

He kissed her forehead. He hated the thought of missing them growing up, of them needing him while he was so far away.

“Stop thinking, Lou. And just go,” Lottie urged, squeezing his hand as if she could read his thoughts.

“Right now?” Louis asked, glancing at his bedside clock. It was almost ten o’clock and still raining.

“No time like the present,” Fizzy said.

“You can come back tomorrow to pack,” Lottie said. “But you gotta let him know that you’re ready. What if he leaves at 4 AM, and you’re still here sleeping?”

Louis let out a long exhale. The thought of Harry leaving without him made him want to weep even harder.

“Okay. I’m going then,” Louis said decisively. He flung the sheets off of him, and gave kisses to Doris and Ernest on their foreheads before ruffling Phoebe and Daisy’s hair. He pointed to Lottie and Fizzy.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“To pack,” Fizzy smiled.

Louis’ breath caught. “To pack,” he repeated. He grabbed a hoodie before standing frozen in the doorway to his bedroom.

“Jesus Christ, just go,” Daisy groaned, throwing a pillow at his head.

Barking out a wet laugh, he began to quickly shuffle to the front door of their house.

“Okay, okay, I’m going!” he shouted.

Shoving his feet into his sneakers, he entered into the summer night. His hoodie stuck to his humidity-sticky skin. Despite the steady rain that was falling, he took the hoodie off. As he walked the two blocks towards Harry’s house, he remembered how he would stand in his yard as the storms poured over him.

“Why do you like the rain so much, love?” his mama had asked him once.

“Because it’s romantic, Mama. If you’re willing to stand in the rain for someone, then you must really love them,” he had answered.

When he rounded the corner and saw the light on in Harry’s house, he felt his heart speed up. What he had told his mother still rang true.

He started running down the street, his clothes clinging to him in the rain. Just as he was about to reach the house, the front door swung open.

“Louis?” Harry called out.

Louis stopped where he was, halfway down the front walkway, and waved.

“Hey,” he said, slightly out of breath.

Harry stepped out into the rain. “What’re you doing here?”

Louis remembered the way he had snuck out even when he had promised Harry he would stay. Seeing the way that Harry stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his face revealing nothing, made Louis wish he could rewind back to that night and never hurt Harry ever again.

He hadn’t thought of what he would say. His only thought was of seeing Harry again, of climbing into the passenger side and never leaving Harry’s side again.

“Why are you here, Louis?” Harry asked again, his eyes imploring as they searched Louis’ face.

“You can’t leave,” Louis said.

Harry’s face fell as he stared blankly at the sidewalk. “Louis, I’ve gotta-”

“No, you can’t,” Louis interrupted. “Not without me.”

Harry’s head snapped up, his eyes wide.

“You gotta make room in that Jeep of yours,” Louis continued. “Enough to fit me, and at least one suitcase. And a box, because I have books and pictures to bring.”

Harry shook his head as a smile grew on his face. “What are you saying?”

Louis walked up to him and grabbed his hands. “I’m coming with you,” he said. He stared at their hands, their intertwined fingers. “If you still want me to.”

Harry lifted Louis’ chin. They were so close that Louis could see all the golden flecks in his green eyes.

“Baby,” Harry murmured. “After all these years, I just hoped you wouldn’t run from me anymore.”

Louis felt hot tears stream down his face. “No more running away.”

Harry smiled softly, his hands cupping Louis’ face as his thumbs brushed away his tears. “Oh, love, no need to cry.”

“They’re happy tears,” Louis said, smiling. “You make me happy, you know. I couldn’t stand you leaving and not knowing how happy you make me.”

Harry held him closer and kissed his hair. “I love you, Louis,” he whispered. “I’d love you, even if you stayed.”

“I love you too, Harry,” Louis confessed. “Even if you left and never came back, I’d love you.”

“I know you don’t have a lot of faith in things like this,” Harry said. Pulling back, he held onto Louis’ hands. “But thank you for having faith in me.”

Louis’s chest filled with warmth as he stared up at him. Hoping for good things hadn’t always worked out in his life, but Harry made dreams feel just a breath away. He smiled as he opened the door to Harry’s house.

Turning around, he tugged on the edge of Harry’s shirt. “C’mon, Styles. We got a big day tomorrow.”

Harry smiled widely and followed Louis through the door, pulling it closed behind him.

The rain fell throughout the night, but when they woke up together at dawn, the sun had started peeking through the clouds.


End file.
